Discretisation errors in Landau gauge on the lattice

Abstract

Lattice discretization errors in the Landau gauge condition are examined. An improved gauge fixing algorithm in which O(a{sup 2}) errors are removed is presented. O(a{sup 2}) improvement of the gauge fixing condition improves comparison with continuum Landau gauge in two ways: (1) through the elimination of O(a{sup 2}) errors and (2) through a secondary effect of reducing the size of higher-order errors. These results emphasize the importance of implementing an improved gauge fixing condition.